英国文学 PART 6

Unit 6 British LiteratureEnglish literature has a long history and a secure position in world literature.England has often produced fine novelists, poets and playwrights.Early Writing1. BeowulfA. Depicts the deeds and deathB. A folk legend brought to Englandby Anglo-SaxonsC. Written down in the 10th centuryD. A reflection of a tribal societyA knight served as a vassal to a lord.At age seven, a nobleman’s son pages.At age 15, a page a squire.Each squire was assigned to a knight.the Code of Chivalry:all knights had to be brave in battle.They had to keep their promises.They had to defend the church.They had to treat noblewomen in a courteous manner.Over time, chivalry became the basis of good manners in Western society.2. Geoffrey Chaucer (1340-1400)A. The father of English poetryB. His main contribution to English poetry is the introduction of rhyming stanzas of various types from France.C. His masterpiece: The Canterbury TalesD. His language is vivid and exact and he was the first to write in London dialect. Elizabethan Drama1. William Shakespeare’s timeA. English drama is completely dominated by William Shakespeare (1564-1616)a. Greatest genius of the world theaterb. 37 plays, mostly in versec. His plays contained a surprising variety of human qualities and moods, anda wealth of eloquence andword-mastery.d. His comedies: As You Like It, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, A Winter’s Tale, The Merchant of V enice, The Tempest and Twelfth Nighte. His tragedies: Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear, OthelloB. Cristopher Marlowe (1564-1593)a. Tamburlaine, The Jew of Malta, The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus (masterpiece)b. His heroes have resolute character and overpowering passion.c. The theme is the praise of individuality and the human effect in conquering the universe.C.Ben Jonson (1572-1637)a. The finest neo-classical dramatist of his day.b. V olpone: the medieval theory of “humours”The Tragical History of Doctor FaustusDoctor Faustus is a German scholar who is well known for his accomplishments. He grows sick of the limitations on human knowledge, which leads him to his interest with magic. Faustus summons a demon, Mephistophilis, ordering him to go to Lucifer with the offer of Faustus’soul in return for twenty-four years of servitude from Mephistophilis. At the news of acceptance from Lucifer, Faustus begins his years filled with sinful nature. Faustus feeds sin with his need for power, praise, and trickery.He becomes absorbed in the way people look up to him, believing him to be a sort of ‘hero’. In the end, Faustus realizes his mistake in believing the knowledge power will bring him happiness. At the end of his twenty-four years, Faustus is filled with fear and he becomes incredibly remorseful for his past actions, yet this comes too late. When fellow scholars find Faustus the next morning, he is torn limb from limb, with his soul carried off to hell.the Calvinist concludes that his damnation was inevitable.His rejection of God and subsequent inability to repent. 忏悔For the Calvinist, Faustus represents the worst kind of sinner.The anti-Calvinist view, interpret Doctor Faustus as a criticism of such doctrines. The 16th centuryA. Thomas More (1478-1535):a. Masterpiece: Utopia in two booksFirst: a long conversation on the socialcondition of EnglandSecond: detailed description of a communist society ofUtopiaMain idea: the poverty of the labouring classes andthe greed and luxury of the richPrinciple of Utopia: From everyone according to hiscapacities, to everyone according to his needs,which is the practical basis for a communist society.b. Thomas More:He was one of the giants of Renaissance and a far-sighted thinker, but was no revolutionary movement among the exploited classes.He could see what was wrong and what was needed, but he could not find the ideological means for realizing his wishes.The 17th centuryA. John Bunyan (1628-1668)a. A commanding prose writerb. great allegory--- Pilgrim’s Progress:the most widely read book in England after the Bible.c. It is a religious allegory which depicts the spiritual pilgrimage of a Christian.d. He cherished a deep hatred for the king and his government and detested the injustices of the law.The Pilgrim's ProgressChristian, an everyman普通人characterhis journey from his hometown, the "City of Destruction" ("this world"), to the "Celestial City" ("that which is to come": Heaven Christian is weighed down by a great burden, the knowledge of his sin, which he believed came from his reading "the book in his hand,"(the Bible). This burden, which would cause him to sink into hell, is so unbearable that Christian must seek deliverance.Christian and Hopefulinto the Celestial City through his own good deeds rather than as a gift of God's grace.they are welcomed into the Celestial City.three great allegoriesThe world’s literature has three great allegories:Spenser’s Faery QueenDante’s Divina CommediaSpenser’s Faery QueenSpenser describes the allegorical presentation of virtues through Arthurian knights in the mythical "Faerieland."a different knight who exemplified one of 12 "private virtues", and a possible 12 morecentred on King Arthur displaying twelve "public virtues".Book I: Holiness Temperance ChastityFriendship Justice CourtesyThe poem celebrates and memorializes the Tudor dynasty (of which Elizabeth was a part), much in the tradition of Virgil's Aeneid's celebration of Augustus Caesar's Rome letter written by Spenser to Sir Walter Raleigh in 1589 contains a preface for The Faerie Queene, in which Spenser describes the allegorical presentation of virtues through Arthurian knights in the mythical "Faerieland." Presented as a preface to the epic in most published editions, this letter outlines plans for 24 books: 12 based each on a different knight who exemplified one of 12 "private virtues", and a possible 12 more centred on King Arthur displaying twelve "public virtues". Spenser names Aristotle as his source for these virtues, although the influence of Thomas Aquinas can be observed as well. It is impossible to predict what the work would have looked like had Spenser lived to complete it, since the reliability of the predictions made in his letter to Raleigh is not absolute, as numerous divergences from that scheme emerged as early as 1590, in the first Faerie Queene publication.John Milton (1608-1674):a. the greatest English revolutionary poetb. He wrote the long epic Paradise Lost in blank verse as his masterpiece.c. He is famous for his grand and majestic style resulting from his use of heroic rhythms and sentence structures and of highsounding names.Virgil (70 -19 BC)Virgil came to be regarded as one of Rome’s greatest poets. His Aeneid can beconsidered a national epic of Rome. Aeneas was a Trojan hero, He fought and won wars, founding the city of Rome.The 18th centuryA. Daniel Defoe (1661-1731):Robinson Crusoea. It carries factual realism to its limit.b. One of the few novels which has held its popularity undiminished for two centuries.B. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745):Gulliver’s Travelsa. Swift criticizes the vices of the age.b. He hated all kinds of oppressionand had deep love for the people.C. Thomas Gray (1716-1771):a notable poet, whose famous Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard, “ the best-known poem in the English language”, marked an early expression of “Romantic” feeling.D. Robert Burns (1759-1796):a. a Scottish peasant poetb. Inspired by the lives and loves of the rural people, he wrote many poems of democracy.E. Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751-1816):a. the most outstanding dramatist of the realistic school,b. well-known comedy The School for ScandalF. Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774):a. satirical comedy She Stoops to Conquerb. best poem The Deserted VillageG. Henry Fielding (1707-1754)The Coffeehouse Politician, The Historical Register for the YearThe Romantic PeriodSamuel ColeridgeThe Rime of the Ancient Mariner"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" is a tale of retribution, since the Ancient Mariner spends most of the poem paying for his one, impulsive error of killing the Albatross. The spiritual world avenges the Albatross's death by wreaking physical and psychological havoc on the Ancient Mariner and his shipmates.The Ancient Mariner warn others about the harsh, permanent consequences of momentary foolishness, selfishness, and disrespect of the natural world.D. William Wordsworth (1770-1850):a. a famous nature-poet at the turn of the century lived in Lake District.b. The rocks and streams had a mystical influence on his mind.c. His works: Daffodils, Lyrical Ballads, The Prelude, Ode to Duty and The ExcursionA. George Gordon Byron (1788-1824):Don Juan is his first work.B. Percy Bysshe Shelly (1792-1822):a. “the genius, the prophet”b. Ode to the West Wind, Ode toa Skylark, Queen Mabc. His poems are full of optimism, expressing his confidence in the future and the final victory of the revolution.C. John Keats (1795-1821):a. He “lived apart from men and all political measures, worshiping beauty like a devotee, perfectly content to write what was in his own heart, or to reflect some splendor of the nature world as he saw and dreamed it to be”b. Isabella, HyperionTo a SkylarkThe speaker, addressing a skylark, says that it is a “blithe Spirit” rather than a bird, for its song comes from Heaven, and from its full heart pours “profuse strains of unpremeditated art.”The skylark flies higher and higher, “like a cloud of fire”in the blue sky, singing as it flies.If the West Wind was Shelley’s first convincing attempt to articulate an aesthetic philosophy through metaphors of nature, the skylark is his greatest natural metaphor for pure poetic expression, the “harmonious madness”of pure inspiration.The 19th Century NovelFrankenstein作品以四封信为开篇。

英国文学简史Part one: Early and Medieval English LiteratureHistorical Background1.When does early and medieval period refer to?“Early” here means English literature in primitive and slavery society.“Medieval” means English literature in feudal England before the Renaissance.2. What main events happened during this period?Roman conquestEnglish conquestNorman conquestLiterature Achievements in old English period1.two groups of English poetry in Anglo-Saxon period. The first group was the paganpoetry represented by Beowulf, the second was the religious poetry represented by the works of Caedmon and Cynewulf.2. In the 8th century, Anglo-Saxon prose appeared. The famous prose writers of thatperiod were Venerable Bede and Alfred the Great.Venerable Bede : is the first scholar and chronicler in England. The most important works : The Ecclesiastical History of the English People.Alfred the Great : started the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.Beowulf1.Definition of epic:an extended narrative poem in elevated or dignified language, celebrating the feats ofa legendary or traditional hero.2.Story of Beowulf : P3-4Questions :1.setting :2. characters:3.plotIII. Some important points“Beowulf” is a folk legend brought to England by Anglo-Saxons from their continental homes. However it also reflected the features of the tribal society in Britain.Originally Beowulf, the great epic, was in oral form and it must be a collective creation.Beowulf in the epic is a legendary figure. In formal history you can not find a man named Beowulf.IV. Artistic features of “Beowulf''1. Using alliterationDefinition of alliteration: Words beginning with the same consonants alliterate with each other within each line. Each line of verse may contain an indefinite number ofwords or syllables but generally has four stresses, with a pause between the second and the third stresses.Some examples on P42. ·Using metaphor and understatementDefinition of understatement: expressing something in a controlled wayUnderstatement is a typical way for Englishmen to express their ideas. You may find some examples on P5Literary Features of the Anglo-Saxon Period1) secular(非宗教的) poetry,non religious poems but with Christian coloring;2) created collectively and orally;3) based on history, legend or events of the time;4) for entertainment;5) unknown writers, written down by the monks in the 10th centuryLiterature achievement in Middle English Period1.Romance: ( for noble )2.Ballads: ( folk literature) (oral)( for English people)3. Poetry:1) William Langland (popular literature)2) Chaucer ( the founder of English literature)1.Romance:It is the most prevailing kind of literature in England on feudal period. It is a long composition, in verse or in prose. It describes the life and adventures of a noble hero.The central theme is loyalty to king and Lord. The code of manners and morals of a knight is Chivalry. The most important romance is king Arthur and his knights of the Round Table.2. Ballads:1.It is the most important form of English folk literature.2.It is a story told in song, usually in 4-line stanzas with the second and fourthline rhymed.c.It is a literature of common people,( mainly the literature of the peasants) fromthem one is able to understand the outlook of the English common people in feudal society.d.It flourished in England in the 15th century.e.The most important ballads in England are Robin Hood .3. PoetryWilliam Langland:a. life:b. content:1.attack on the corruption of the rich and the wickedness of clergy2.the political situation of the time3.search for truth4. attack on the seven Deadly Sins:(pride, lechery (色欲），envy, wrath, Avarice, glutton, sloth)c. Social significance:1.a classic of popular literature2.kindled the toiling people’s sense of human dignity and equality before God3.arousing revolutionary sentimentd. artistic features:1.It is written in the form of a dream vision.2.It is an allegory which relates truth through symbolism. But in the main, it is arealistic picture of medieval England.3. The poem uses satire in his description of social abuses caused by the corruption4.The poem is written in alliteration.nguage style: lively speech of the countryside , blunt and unpolished words.Geoffrey ChaucerI. His lifeII. Literary career: 3 stagesIII. His works:a.Troilus and Criseydeb.The Canterbury TalesIV. His Contributions:∙I. His Life∙Born in a wine merchant's family∙Trip to the continent on diplomatic missions,two of which took him to Italy∙Buried in Westminster Abbey, the poets' corner∙Political background:relation with John of Gaunt∙II. Literary Career:∙French period:The Book of the Duchess∙Italian period: works adapted from the Italian: Troilus and Criseyde∙English period: The Canterbury TalesHe reached maturity and was free from dominant foreign influence.∙III. His works:∙The Book of the Dutchess 《公爵夫人之书》∙The House of Fame《声誉之堂》∙The Parliament of Fowls《百鸟议会》∙The Canterbury Tales《坎特伯雷故事集》∙Troilus and Criseyde 《特罗勒斯和克莱西》Troilus and Criseyde∙It is based on a poem by Boccaccio, his longest poem, written in the rhymed royal(君王体）(a seven-line stanza in iambic pentameter rhyming ababbcc.)The Canterbury Tales∙Questions :1. the organization of the book( the relationship between the general prologue and each tale)2.The main features of Chaucer's narration3.The image of Wife of Bath∙Basic informationform: most of the tales are written in heroic coupletsetting: Tabard Inncharacters: types of literature: courtly romance, folk tale.,beast fable, story of travel and adventure, saint's life, allegorical tale, sermon, alchemical account.Language: Middle English, vivid, exact, word- picturesLength: planned to be 120 stories. The General prologue,20 complete tales, 4 fragments, separate prologues to each tale with links, comments,quarrels ,etc. in between.Arrangement: linked through the host's comments and prologue.two ways: the personality of the host affords a clear string of connection from the 1st to the last tale.There is an intimate connection between the tales and prologue.Typical characters: almost all medieval figures from different sides of life except noble and serfs.Character of the wife of Baththe owner of a cloth factory, light-hearted, merry,somewhat vulgar and talkative. a lengthy account of her feelings about marriage.∙The Canterbury Tales' significancereflection of his times--- a panoramic view of his contemporary life; reflection of his humanist idea---- he exposed the evils of the church, the corruption of the upper class, praise man's intellect and love; he affirms men and women's right to pursue their happiness and oppose the dogma of asceticism preached by church.∙IV. Chaucer's contributions:∙Forerunner of humanism∙The first realistic writerc.Father of English poetryd.Master of the English languagePart Two: The English RenaissanceHistorical BackgroundRenaissance and HumanismMain literary form:poetry Edmund Spencerdrama: most important William Shakespeareessay: (prose) Francis BaconThe English Renaissance1. Renaissance in Europea. It began in the 14th century in Italy.b. nature: a cultural and intellectual movementc. content: there arose a current for the study of Greek and Latin authors; a generaldissatisfaction at the catholic and feudal ideas.d. two striking features: curiosity for classical literatureinterest in the activities of humanityII. Historical BackgroundThe establishment of Tudor Dynasty(1485-1603)Religious ReformationThe establishment of ProtestantismCommercial expansion abroadThe war with Spain(English bourgeoisie fought for existence and power)III. Renaissance and HumanismHumanism1.Nature: a literary and philosophical system of thought which attempt to placethe affairs of mankind at the center of its concerns.2.Origin: in Italyc.Source: based on a new reading of Greek and Roman literature, and anaffirmation of the importance of Platonic philosophy and reinterpretation of thewritings of Aristotle.d.Idea: It took the life of man in the presence as a major interest.e.Humanism was one of the most important factors giving rise to theRenaissance. It is an attitude rather than a philosophy.The main traits of the Renaissance Literaturea. Its chief characteristic is the expression of secular values with man instead of God asthe center of the universe.b. It emphasizes the dignity of man, affirms and eulogizes the value of man.c. It advocates the full expression of individualism and the fulfillment of one's abilitiesagainst the despotic rule of the feudalism.d. It affirms the delight of earthly achievement as well as men's desire for happinessand pleasure.Poetry1.Two poets before the Elizabethan Age:Thomas Wyatt; Henry Howard , Earl of Surreya. sonnet: an exact form of poetry in 14 lines of iambic pentameter rhymed,introduced to England from Italy by Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard, Earl ofSurrey.b. Surrey: the first English blank verse, the form of poetry to be later masterly handledby Shakespeare and Milton.Two poets before the Elizabethan Agec. the songs and sonnets by Wyatt and Surrey was the first anthology of English lyricpoems.II.Two poets of the Elizabethan Age1. Philip Sidneya. life: well-known as a poet and critic of poetry. He is Spencer's friend. Spencer wroteShepherd's Calendar to dedicate to him. He was a courtier, a scholar and soldier.b. his collection of love sonnets:Astrophel and Stellac. criticism:Apology for Poetry: represent the spirit of literary criticism of the Renaissance.2. Edmund Spencera. life : a minor noble family, good education, the Poet's poet ,buried in Westminster Abbey.b. works:1) The Shepherds' calendar2) Amorettia sequence of 88 sonnets, containing Spencer's love poems to his future wife, ElizabethBoyle.Question: what are most famous Sonnet sequences of the Elizabethan Age?3) Masterpiece : Faerie QueenPlanned in 12 books but only 6 finished.Content: In the epic each hero or heroine represents a virtue. In the course of their trials, they come to fully embody that virtue. The virtues are Holiness, Temperance, Chastity,Friendship, Justice, and Courtesy.Form: allegoryLanguage: has sweet melody and its lines are very musicalVerse form: “Spenserian Stanza”Spenserian Stanza: First eight lines are iambic pentameter and ninth has two more syllables, rhyming ababbcbcc.theme: 1)nationalism 2) humanism 3) PuritanismInfluence: used by all the later poets, especially imitated by the romantic poets of the 19th century.( Byron, Shelley, Keats)Everything in the story has two levels —as part of the story and as part of the allegory, or symbolic meaning. This can be seen in Book I, which summarizes thewhole poem. As a Romantic adventure, this is the story of the Redcrosse Knight andLady Una searching for Una's parents, who are trapped by a dragon. The knight killsthe dragon and so wins the right to be the lady's husband. As a spiritual allegory, thisis the story of a soul's encounter with the seven deadly sins, its separation from andreunion with the one faith, and its final salvation by divine grace.c. school-belong: like Lyly and Sidney, Spencer was a court poet.d. position: as a model of poetical art among the Renaissance English poets, the 1st to makeEnglish the natural music in poetry.ProseI. Bible1.Translation of Bible: the first complete English Bible was translated by JohnWycliffe(1324-1384), the morning star of the Reformation, and his followers.( fromLatin to English)2.The authorized version of Bible: translated under the auspice of James I in1611 and so it was called the King James Bible. This version is simple and dignifiedin language.( modern English has been fixed and confirmed.)II.The greatest humanist: Thomas Morea.was born in a middle-class family. humanist leader of the early 16th century,a scholar, master of Latin, witty talker, music lover, great thinker; once LordChancellor; beheaded on a false charge of treason.b.Masterpiece∙Utopia in 1516(in Latin) translated into English in 1551.∙Form: a conversation between More and a returned voyager.∙Comment :a. He is a far-sighted thinker, living on the eve of the bourgeois revolution.b. More was the first to see the relation between wealth and poverty and to bring up theideal of communist society. He was one of the forerunner of modern socialist thought.∙Question:What is More's Limitation?3.Bacon( the most important prose writer)Sir Francis Bacon was an English writer, philosopher and statesman and was educated in Cambridge. When he was fourteen, Bacon finished his education and went to Paris. In the French capital, he began to know humanism.In 1584, Francis Bacon was elected for the House of Commons and started his political career. Bacon advised for the union of England and Scotland and suggested ways to deal with Roman Catholics. For all these he had done, he was given the title of knight in 1603. By the time of James I, he was named as Lord Chancellor in 1618.In 1621, he was accused by Parliament and they said that he had accepted bribes. For this reason his political career ended.Drama:1. Three kinds of drama:a. the Miracle play: it is the root of English drama. It is based on Bible stories.Miracles were first performed in the church.b. the Morality play: It presents the conflict of good and evil with allegoricalpersonages such as Mercy, Peace, Hate, Fally, etc.)( eg: Everyman)c. the Interlude: a short performance during the break.( eg: the play of the weather)2. Two influences on Elizabethan Drama1) influence from the classics. (Greek and Latin drama)2) influence from the popular drama.3. Gammer Gurton's needle is the first English comedy, describing a quarrel over theloss of a needle.Gorboduc is the first English tragedy.The morality play Everyman at the end of 15th century makes the beginning of modern English drama.4. The London theatre and the audience5. playwrights:a. the university wits: they are Lily, Peele, Marlowe, Greene, Lodge and Nash, etc. Themost influential is Marlowe. They had studied at the Universities of Oxford or Cambridge and then set up as professional writers, selling their learning and their “ wits” to the London public of playgoers and reading public as well.b. Marlowec. Shakespeared. Ben Jonsonb. MarloweWorks: (tragedies)Doctor Faustus( for knowledge)Tamburlaine ( based on a German Legend, ambition)Jew of Malta ( greed for wealth)Themes of his plays:scorn of orthodox creedspraise of individuality , freed from the restraints of medieval dogmas and law.Position and achievements:He was the predecessor of ShakespeareHe was the greatest pioneer of English drama.achievements: 1) He first made blank verse (unrhymed iambic drama), the principal instrument of English drama.2) He replaced the stilted heroes of drama in the past by men of vitalityand passion. He created the Renaissance hero for English drama.Shakespeareo Life :o Four periods in play- writingo His comedieso His tragedieso Historical playso Poetical workso Features of Shakespeare's dramaoo Four periods in play-writing1st period:Features:a) It's Shakespeare's early experimental period. It is marked by youthfulness and richimagination.b) by extravagance of languagec) by the frequent use of rhymed couplets with blank versed) He looked down upon the world as a just one. Justice would eventually win inthe end.e) Love, faith, work and duty were the four elements that made the world right.Works: P 582nd period:Features:1.He worked as a master in play writing2.It was a period of rapid growth and development of his artistic power.c.He had a keen insight into human nature, great power of expression and geniusfor constructing a play.d.This period belongs to his best history plays.Works: P603rd period:features:1.The period of gloom and depression2.He was concerned with deposit matters of human life.c.He grew in experience, in vision and in sympathyd.His belief and trust in mankind had been shattered.e.He produced his four greatest tragedies.Works: P624th period:features:1. a period of unrealistic compromise and fantasy2. a period of restored serenity and tolerant resignationc.He sounds again a note of calm and hope and serene wisdom.d.His latest plays including Tempest have happy endings.Works:P63o His comediesShakespeare wrote his comedies in his early period. In these plays he portrayed the young people who had just freed themselves from the feudal fetters. He sang of their youth, their love and ideal of happiness. The heroes and heroines were sons and daughters of the Renaissance. They trust not in God or King but in themselves.o Two groups of characters:o Women characters:o16 comedies together. His main comedies are: Merchant of Venice; A Midsummer Night's Dream; As you like it; Twelfth Night.His tragedieso Shakespeare's great tragedies are associated with a period of gloom and sorrow in his life. During this period, England witnessed a general unrest, and social contradictions became very sharp. What caused the writer's personal sadness is unknown to us. It is generally attributed to the political misfortune of his friend and patron, Earl of Essex, who was killed by the Queen. Shakespeare wrote 11 tragedies.His main tragedies are: Hamlet; Othello; King Lear; Macbeth. All these plays expressa profound dissatisfaction with life. They show the struggle and conflicts betweengood and evils, between justice and injustice. In these plays, the writer Shakespeare condemns the dark and evil society.o Historical playsShakespeare's historical plays are political plays. The principal idea of these plays is the necessity for national unity under one sovereign. At his time, this idea was anti-feudal in nature; and it summed up the general opinion of the rising bourgeoisie in Shakespeare's own day. Among Shakespeare's 10 historical plays, Henry IV and Henry V are two remarkable plays.o Shakespeare's poetical worksVenus and Adonis ; Lucrece are two long narrative poems.The bulk of Shakespeare's sonnets were written between 1593 and 1598. Each line of a sonnet is in iambic pentameter, and the rhyme scheme is abab cdcd efef gg. His 154 sonnets seem to fall into two series:One series are addressed to W. H, evidently a patron, and the other addressed to "dark lady" who played the poet false. For depth of sentiment, for mastery of diction, for perfection of finish, they are among the most excellent of Elizabethan poetry.o Features of Shakespeare's dramaa) progressive significance of his themeb) successful character portrayalc) master hand in constructing playsd) the ingenuity of his poetrye) mastery of English languageBen Jonson1.Introduction:Poet, critic, poet's laureate; Successor of Shakespeare. He was the greatest writers of comedy after Shakespeare.2.His plays:1)His plays are written according to “ humors ”. Every character in his comedies personified a definite humor, so his characters are like caricature.2)His plays were not deep but had much surface energy.3)His masterpieces are Velpone and The AlchemistIII. His contribution:a) humorb) forerunner of classicismEnglish Literature in the seventeenth CenturyI .Social Backgroundthe English Revolution and the RestorationII. Literary characteristics:1. literature of the Revolution periodPuritan literature period is different from the literature of Elizabethan period in the following aspects:1) Elizabethan literature had a marked unity and the feeling of patriotism and devotion to the Queen, but in the Revolution Period，all this was changed, the king became the open enemy of the people, and the country was divided by the struggle for political and religious liberty. So literature was as divided in spirit as were the struggling parties.2) Elizabethan literature was generally inspiring. It throbbed with youth and hope and vitality．Literature in the Puritan Age expressed age and sadness. Even its brightest hours were followed by gloom and pessimism.3) Elizabethan literature was intensely romantic．The romantic spirit sprang from the heart of youth．People believed all things, even the impossible．But in literature of the Puritan period, we cannot find any romantic ardor.2.The main literary form of the period was poetry．Among the poets, Milton was the greatest. Besides him, there were two other groups of poets, the Metaphysical Poets and the Cavalier Poets.3. Puritanism was the religious doctrine of the revolutionary bourgeoisie during this period. It preached thrift, sobriety, hard work, but with very little extravagant enjoyment of the fruits of labor. Worldly pleasures were condemned as harmful. This was precisely the outlook needed by the bourgeoisie for the accumulation of capital. Though there were many clever men in England during the latter half of the seventeenth century, there were only two minds which possessed the imaginative faculty in a very eminent degree. One of these minds produced the Paradise Lost, the other The Pilgrim's ProgressJohn Bunyan(约翰·班扬)1.life:son of a tinker. After receiving his early education at the Bedford grammar school ,he followed his father' s trade. Later, He joined a Baptist society and became a preacher. Soon he became active both in preaching and writing. After restoration, he was arrested and kept in prison for preaching. He was the chief puritan writer toparticipate in the struggle against the corrupt fedual-aristocratic regimes of charlies II and James II after John Milton.2.Works: Pilgrim's Progress<<天路历程>>Bunyan’s most important work and one of the most popular books in the English languages, was written in the form of an allegory.∙Allegory(寓言)It loosely describes any writing in verse or prose that has a double meaning. This fictional literary narrative acts as an extended metaphor in which persons, abstract ideas, or events represent not only themselves on the literal level, but also stand for something else on the symbolic level. An allegorical reading usually involves moral or spiritual concepts that may be more significant than the actual, literal events described in a narrative.∙It is a prose narrative symbolically concerning the human soul's pilgrimage through temptation and doubt to reach salvation.∙Other important allegorical works include Spencer's Faerie Queen and Swift's Gulliver's travels.∙Pilgrim's ProgressMain plots:The allegory takes the form of a dream by the author, in which he sees Christian , with a burden on his back and reading in a book, from which he learns that the city in which he and his family live will be burned with fire. On the advice of Evangelist, Christian flees form the City of Destruction, having failed to persuade his wife and children to accompany him.∙Part I describes his pilgrimage. On the way he encounters various allegorical personages, such as Mr. worldly Wiseman, Faithful. Part II relates Christian's wife sets out with her children on the same pilgrimage, accompanied by her neighbor Mercy. They are escorted by Great –heart, who overcomes Giant Despair and other monsters and brings them to their destination.∙Vanity Fair ( 名利场) Plot: P115∙Analysis:The vanity Fair contains all manners of material goods to tempt men. This allegorically refers to the real world where people have become so degenerated that al they are concerned about is to buy and sell everything. What they care about is material wealth. They have lost the sense of honor, uprightness and conscience. They are spiritually lost.a) It is written in the form of allegory and dream.b) The most famous part is Vanity Fair. (satirical picture of English society)c) the theme: to preach religion and expose social reality in England and alsoadvocate self-salvation.d) Main characters: Christian; Faithful; Hopeful.e) pilgrimage:Slough of Despond, Vanity Fair, Doubting Castle, the Valley of Humiliation, and the Valley of the Shadow of Death, Celestial City.f) allegorical personages: Mr. worldly Wiseman, Faithful, Hopeful, Giant Despair, thefoul fiend and etc.∙Questions:What is burden on Christian's back?What is the book?∙Answers:Burdens refers to sin that he carries with him everywhere.Book refers to the bible, from which he can be freed from his burden.∙Sum upPilgrim's Progress warns that a Christian in search of salvation will meet any difficulties and various kinds of temptation and trials. Only by steadfastness and faithfulness can win the way to heaven.∙Bunyan's writing styleThe simple and unaffected language of common people and details taken from ordinary circumstances of ordinary life are responsible for his successJohn MiltonI. life:Milton is the greatest writer of the seventeenth century. Mastering the ancient languages and literature : Greek, Latin；“ the lady of the Christ” “ spokesman of the Revolution”. Milton was sent to Christ’s college, Cambridge, where he acquired a good knowledge of Latin. He was famous for his personal beauty and strictness of his life and was nicknamed “ the lady of the Christ's”.II. literary career:a) up to 1641( First period)He was greatly influenced by humanism and the spirit of Elizabethan Age. His important poem is Lycidas, a pastoral elegy on the death of a college mate.b) From 1641 to 1654( second period)He wrote no poems but political essays and pamphlets.Areopafitica called for freedom of press. (prose)“ Defence of the English people”“ Second Defence of the English people”Pamphlets on marriagec) From 1655 to 1671( third period)Paradise Lost ( masterpiece)Paradise RegainedSamson AgonistesIII. works:a. Paradise Lost:epic in 12 books, written in blank versesource: old Testamenttheme: a revolt against God's authoritythe fall of men ; man's disobedience and the loss of paradise; the powers of man; craving for knowledgeimage: Satan1) the real hero of the poem2) He is a very firm revolt against God and makes man revolt against God3) Though defeated he won the respects of his angles.4) He is the spirit questioning the authority of God.b. Samson Agonistespoetical drama, modeled on the Greek tragedies, from the “ Book of Judges” in Old Testament”.Common between Samson and MiltonJohn MiltonIV. Features of Milton's poetry:a. Milton is a great revolutionary poet of the 17th century. He was also an outstandingpolitical pamphleteer of the revolution period. He dedicated himself to the revolutionary cause. He made a strong influence on the later English poetry. Every progressive English poet since Milton has drawn inspiration from him.b. Milton is a great stylistHis poetry has a grand style. That is because he made a life-long study of classical and Biblical literature. His poetry is noted for sublimity of thought and majesty of expression.c. Milton is a great master of blank verse.He is the glorious pioneer to introduce blank verse into non-dramatic poetry. He has used it as the main tool in his masterpiece “ Paradise Lost”. His blank verse is rich in every poetic quality and never monotonous.d. Milton wrote the greatest epic in English literature. He made a strong influence to laterEnglish poetry.V. Exercise:How do you understand these plots?1. God was surrounded by his angles, who never think of expressing any opinions oftheir own.。

Unit 6 Restoration and 18th CenturyI. Historical BackgroundPolitically:●After Bourgeois Revolution, the Tory and Whig joined hands against tyranny andrestoration of Catholicism, and welcomed to the throne Mary and her husband, William of Orange (Glorious Revolution/Bloodless Revolution) in 1688, thus ending autocratic monarchy君主独裁制, replacing it with a constitutional monarchy君主立宪制.●The power passed from the king gradually to the parliament and cabinetministers.●With it established the capitalist system once and for all in England.Stuart DynastyCharles II (1660-1685)James II (1685-1688)Mary II and William III (1688-1694, -1702)Anne (1702-1714))Hanoverian dynastyGeorge I (1714-1727)George II (1727-1760)George III (1760-1820)urban middle class, who worked hard, economized and accumulated great wealth and became the mainstay of the nation●continued to expand its colonies abroad in Asia, Africa and North America, whichled to social unrest in Scotland, Ireland, AmericaIdeologically:Under the influence of scientific discoveries (Newton) and flourishing of philosophies, French enlightenment started.Enlightenment:●an intellectual movement beginning in France and then spread throughout Europe ●the guiding principle or slogan is Ration/Reason, natural right and equality(American Independence War in 1776; French Revolution in 1789)●Ration became standard for measurement of everything● a continuation of Renaissance in belief in the possibility of human perfectionthrough educationSocially:The old aristocratic class was fast loosing its power politically and economicallyto the rising urban middle class or bourgeoisie who became the mainstay of the society (Age of Bourgeoisie). The Puritan spirit of wisdom, diligence, honesty, and thriftiness contributed greatly to the development of the country. They accumulated more wealth and money, and their social status was raised.Literarily:Inspired by the spirit of Enlightenment,●better education facilitated by developing economy, was available to more andmore people, esp. middle-class men and women, more schools and social clubs were established.●Ancient classic works and contemporary French works were models of writing(Age of Neoclassicism; Age of Pope)●New genres of literature appeared to satisfy middle-class readers:---Periodicals (Tatler and Spectator) to write interesting sketches and stories, to entertain and teach---Novels about middle class by common middle class for middle class’s education for middle class readersII. Literature:1.Neoclassicist poetry: 新古典主义a)Upheld the classic principles of ration, morality, balance, unity, order,propriety, decorum, etc.b)Led by Alexander Pope and Samuel Johnsonc)Mock epics, romance, literary criticism, satires2.Prose●Satire: Jonathan Swift’s “Proposal” and Gulliver’s Travels●Journalism/Periodicals: Steels and Addison’s literary journals●Realist novel: bourgeois in essence 写实/现实主义小说---subject matter,----readership,----didactic purpose,---form (prose, comic epic);---Samuel Richardson’s Pamela (epistolary)Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe,Henry Fielding’s Joseph Andrews (comic epic in prose);Tom Jones (picaresque)Smollett (sea novel), Sterne (sentimentality), Goldsmith, etc.●Gothic novel (from mid-century) 哥特式小说---against the rigid rationality principle---emphasize on the irrational and dark side of human nature: the imaginative, the supernatural, the discarded Medieval castle ---1st book: Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto (1764)--- Ann Radcliffe the most successful:The mysteries of Udolpho (1794)---influenced the later generations: Coleridge, Dickens, Bronte sisters, etc.●Sentimentality literature伤感文学---started by Samuel Richardson’s Pamela and Clarissa---represented in novel form by Laurence Sterne---represented in poetry by “The Graveyard School”: Thomas Gray, Edward Young---emphasizing the emotion/heart instead of ration---gradually merged into Romanticism●Religious AllegoryJohn Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress●BiographyJames Boswell’s Life of Samuel Johnson3.Drama●theatres moved from outskirts into the cities;●tragedies replaced by comedies as source materials and audience changed;target for satirizing the upper middle class people;●the best playwrights Sheridan (The School for Scandal, The Rivals)and Goldsmith (She Stoops to Conquer).III. Text StudyJonathan Swift (1667-1745)1. A master of prose:“proper words in proper places”simple, direct, precise prose style:---clear, simple and concrete diction 用词明了、简单、具体---uncomplicated sentence structure 简单句子结构---economy and conciseness of language 语言简约2. A master satirist:Satire: was to ridicule, censure and correct the vices, follies, stupidities and corruptions of the society. It answered well the purpose of the Enlightenment, which aimed at public education in moral, social as well as cultural life. --Pope and Swift, two masters of satire.Jonathan Swift:A Modest Proposala model satire--the most devastating protest against the inhuman exploitation and oppression of the Irish people by the English ruling class--the apparent eagerness, sincerity and detachment of the author adds to the bitter irony and biting sarcasmIt is by far the most consummate artistic expression of Swift’s indignation toward the terrible oppression and exploitation of the Irish people by the English ruling classes, especially of the poor Irish peasants by the rich English absentee landlords.Jonathan Swift:A Modest Proposal-- It reveals Swift’s consistent fight for the Irish people & the greatest and bitterest of his Irish tracts.--The full title reveals the bitter irony that runs through the whole piece.Though the ironical suggestion of offering one-year-old children of poor Irish parents on sale as food for the rich appears gruesome（可怕的）at first sight, it is necessary to remember that Swift’s bitterness came as a result of the fruitlessness of his many positive proposals for reform made earlier.--After ironically enumerating（列举）the many advantages of the proposal, Swift dwells upon the terrible miseries of the poor Irish people and upon the inhuman cruelties of the landlords.To remedy the problem of the poverty-stricken, oppressed and uneducated population of Catholics in Ireland, Swift’s projector calmly and rationally proposes that thousands of the children should be killed and eaten. This will help both the overpopulated poor, who can’t afford to care for their children anyway, and the rich, who will get a good meal out of the whole process.The projector uses The following reasons to advance his plan.First, eating the poor children will solve the problem of population among the papists, or the Catholics.Second, it will make the remaining papists richer, since they will have such valuable commodities to sell in exchange for rent，credit, etc.Third, it will help the economy since less money will have to be spent on the upbringing of so many poor children. This system, lastly, will produce a better cultural environment for Ireland as a whole, encouraging marriage and the charms of the tavern.Finally, the projector defends his intentions in offering such a proposal, explaining that he has no personal advantages which will be derived from his plan, since his children are all too old to kill and his wife is too old to have more children.--He makes references to the terrible practices of abortions and child-murder and the selling of boys and girls above twelve years of age, all on account of the dire poverty of the parents.--He describes the awful sight of mother-beggars followed by many children all in rags and of numerous ages, and of diseased or maimed poor people “every day dying, and rotting, by cold, and famine, an d filth, and vermin.”--Repeatedly speaking of the impossibility of the poor tenants to pay their landlords’ rent, Swift fiercely attacks “the oppression of landlords” who would seize the tenants’ corn and cattle upon their failure to pay rent and would l eave the poor peasants “withneither houses nor clothes to cover them from the inclemencies of the weather.”18th-century Literature (2)I. Study of Pope’s Essay on Man (p.89-90):Alexander Pope: great satirical poetAn Essay on Man--4 epistles（书信体诗文）, revealing the poet’s political views and philosophical inclinations.--Pope’s identification of God almost with nature, his belief in God as the creator of the universe，but his denial of any supernatural elements in the Christian religion, his emphasis on the study only of the human world, his insistence on rationalism, his practical morality by holding to the golden mean, and his general optimistic view of bourgeois progress and of possible concord between social harmony and self-love.Text studyTheme:the dialectical（辨证的）concept of human nature and life：Analysis of the divinity as well as limitation of human beings;emphasis of the common road, or balance between ration and passion.Poetic pattern: heroic couplet (first used by Chaucer, but perfected by Pope.)Text study: Extract 1L1. The appropriate subject in study of mankind is man. (philosophical research: Who am I?)L2. We are placed on the middle part of the universe linked by the Heaven and the Hell. (H and H are two destinations for human beings. Life is temporary and transitional.L3. Oxymoron矛盾修饰法：darkly: ignorant; rudely: uncultivated, uncivilized, savage; great: divine; (a combination of good and bad)L4. Skeptic side: school of philosophy in ancient Greece which challenged everything and doubted everything.With so much knowledge we tend to doubt. /The more you know, the more you want to know.L5. Stoic:斯多葛学派（禁欲主义者）With too much weakness, we are proud of ourselves for being ascetic.L6. Christianity: we should be passive. We should listen to God to arrange everything for us.Greek Mythology: we should enjoy our life and try to seek for our pleasure.L7 & 8 combination of divine qualities and beastly featuresL9. We are born only to die and we are arguing all the time, but we are makingmistakes all the time.L10. Human beings are as ignorant as they are reasonable. (on the one hand they are ignorant , on the other hand they are reasonable.)L12. Chaotic combination of reason and passion;L 13. Abused : make mistakes; disabused: correct mistakes (错上加错）L14. We can upgrade our life to God’s life or lower our life to a beastly life.L15. Bible: Adam is the master of the world.Greek Myths: Epimetheus gave all the good things to animals, for example, strength, swiftness and so on.Man is prey to everything/ is the most vulnerable in nature.L16. Bible:Adam is given the right to name all animals.Only human beings have ration, (animals live in instinct) but we can not control ourselves. (often make mistakes)L17. Joke: laughable, ridiculousGlory: ma n is the perfect creation of God’s.The dual aspects of human nature is analyzed.Extract 2L2. Self-love: passion; self-fulfillment;L 3. Pope corrects the Christian belief that passion is bad and reason is good.This :reason; that: self-love;L4. Ends: functions, purposes, goal;L5. Proper operation: appropriate functionL7. Self-love is the motivation of action which makes the inner desire act;L8. Reason’s comparing balance rules the body.L9 &10. Man, without passion, could attend no action./ is not in the mood of doing anything. Without reason, man is busy with no result or no purpose.L11. Peculiar: specific l12. Propagate: reproduceAn Essay on ManBy Alexander PopeKnow then thyself , presume not God to scan ;The proper study of mankind is Man.Placed on t his isthmus of a middle state ,A being darkly wise , and rudely great ;With too much knowledge for the skeptic side ,Wit h too much weakness for t he stoic’s pride ,He hangs between ; in doubt to act , or beast ;In doubt to deem himself a god , or beast ;In doubt his mind or body to prefer ;认识汝自己,勿妄论上帝;要研究人类,研究人自己。

British LiteratureEarly writing:The major literature competition is the annual Booker Prize.Much early British writing was concerned with Christianity: Anglo-Saxons produced beautifully illustrated versions of the Bible: the most famous of these is the Book of Kells.One of the oldest of these early “Old English”literary works is long poem from Anglo-Saxon times called Beowulf.One work from Norman Conquest times often studied today by middle school and college students is The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, who was the first court poet to write in English.主要文学竞争在于一年一度的布克文学奖。

大多早期的英国作品关心基督教:盎格鲁-撒克逊人制作精美插图版本的圣经:其中最著名的是凯尔斯书。

这些早期的最古老的古英语文学作品之一是长诗来自盎格鲁-撒克逊时代叫做贝奥武夫。

今天被广泛中学和大学学生学习研究的是由诺曼征服时期杰弗里·乔叟写的《坎特伯雷故事集》---是第一个由法院诗人用英语写的。

Early than 10661.Concerned with Christianity.2.Little read by people outside university.3.Written in “old English”.From 1066 to 11381.Written in royal court became French.2.Words in French or Latin.From 1138 to 14701.Works of history but invented material to fill the board gaps in the history records.2.King Arthur’s story became popular.Beowulf《北奥武夫》The Canterbury Tales 《坎特伯雷故事集》History of the Kings of Britain 《英国列王史》Le Morte D’Arthur《亚瑟王之死》Elizabethan DramaThere was a general flowering of cultural and intellectual life in Europe during the 15th and 16th century which is known as “The Renaissance”.Christopher Marlowe’s most famous play is The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, the story of a man who sold his soul to the devil in return for power.William Shakespeare is probably the best-known literary figure in the world.Thetragedies include Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth.Among the comedies are The Taming of the Shrew, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night, and The Tempest.在欧洲的15世纪到16世纪有一个文化和精神百花齐放的时代那就是著名的“文艺复兴”。

英国文学简史由以下八个部分66章组成,从早期、中世纪英国文学一直到二十世纪英国文学;Part 1:Early And Medieval English LiteraturePart 2: The English RenaissancePart 3:Part 4:Part 5: Romanticism In EnglandPart 6:Part 7: Prose-Writers And Poets Of The Mid And Late 19th Century一、中世纪文学约5世纪—1485英国最初的文学同其他国家最初的文学一样,不是书面的,而是口头的;故事与传说口头流传,并在讲述中不断得到加工、扩展,最后才有写本;公元5世纪中叶, 盎格鲁、撒克逊、朱特三个日耳曼部落开始从丹麦以及现在的荷兰一带地区迁入不列颠;盎格鲁—撒克逊时代给我们留下的古英语文学作品中,最重要的一部是贝奥武甫Beowulf,它被认为是英国的民族史诗;贝奥武甫讲述主人公贝尔武甫斩妖除魔、与火龙搏斗的故事,具有神话传奇色彩;这部作品取材于日耳曼民间传说,随盎格鲁-撒克逊人入侵传入今天的英国,现在我们所看到的诗是8世纪初由英格兰诗人写定的,当时,不列颠正处于从中世纪异教社会向以基督教文化为主导的新型社会过渡的时期;因此,贝奥武甫也反映了7、8世纪不列颠的生活风貌,呈现出新旧生活方式的混合,兼有氏族时期的英雄主义和封建时期的理想,体现了非基督教日耳曼文化和基督教文化两种不同的传统;公元1066年,居住在法国北部的诺曼底人在威廉公爵率领下越过英吉利海峡,征服英格兰;诺曼底人占领英格兰后,封建等级制度得以加强和完备,法国文化占据主导地位,法语成为宫廷和上层贵族社会的语言;这一时期风行一时的文学形式是浪漫传奇,流传最广的是关于亚瑟王和圆桌骑士的故事;高文爵士和绿衣骑士Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, 1375-1400以亚瑟王和他的骑士为题材,歌颂勇敢、忠贞、美德,是中古英语传奇最精美的作品之一;传奇文学专门描写高贵的骑士所经历的冒险生活和浪漫爱情,是英国封建社会发展到成熟阶段一种社会理想的体现;14世纪以后,英国资本主义工商业发展较快,市民阶级兴起,英语逐渐恢复了它的声誉,社会各阶层普遍使用英语,为优秀英语文学作品的产生提供了条件;杰弗利·乔叟Geoffrey Chaucer, 1343-1400的出现标志着以本土文学为主流的英国书面文学历史的开始;坎特伯雷故事The Canterbury Tales以一群香客从伦敦出发去坎特伯雷朝圣为线索,通过对香客的生动描绘和他们沿途讲述的故事,勾勒出一幅中世纪英国社会千姿百态生活风貌的图画; 乔叟首创英雄诗行,即五步抑扬格双韵体,对英诗韵律作出了很大贡献,被誉为“英国诗歌之父”;乔叟的文笔精练优美,流畅自然,他的创作实践将英语提升到一个较高的文学水平,推动了英语作为英国统一的民族语言的进程;二、文艺复兴时期文学15世纪后期—17世纪初相对于欧洲其他国家来说,英国的文艺复兴起始较晚,通常认为是在15世纪末;文艺复兴时期形成的思想体系被称为人文主义,它主张以人为本,反对中世纪以神为中心的世界观,提倡积极进取、享受现世欢乐的生活理想;托马斯·莫尔Thomas More, 1478-1535是英国最主要的早期人文主义者,他的乌托邦Utopia批评了当时的英国和欧洲社会,设计了一个社会平等、财产公有、人们和谐相处的理想国;Utopia现已成为空想主义的代名词,但乌托邦是作者对当时社会状况进行严肃思考的结果;乌托邦开创了英国哲理幻想小说传统的先河,这一传统从培根的新大西岛The New Atlantis、斯威夫特的格列佛游记Gulliver's Travels、勃特勒的埃瑞璜Erewhon一直延续到20世纪的科幻小说;文艺复兴时期诗歌创作繁荣,埃德蒙·斯宾塞Edmund Spenser, 1552-1599的长诗仙后The Faerie Queene歌颂女王,宣扬人文主义思想;他创造的“斯宾塞诗体”每节诗有九行,韵律复杂,具有柔和动听、萦绕耳际的音乐性;弗兰西斯·培根 Francis Bacon, 1561-1626是这一时期最重要的散文家,他对文学的主要贡献是论说文集Essays,共58篇;这些文章题材广泛,内容涉及哲学、宗教、政治制度以及婚姻、爱情、友谊、园艺、读书等,文笔典雅,略带古风而又明白畅达;英国戏剧起源于中世纪教堂的宗教仪式,取材于圣经故事的神秘剧和奇迹剧在 14、15世纪英国舞台上占有主导地位,随后出现了以抽象概念作为剧中人物的道德剧;到了16世纪末,戏剧进入全盛时期;克里斯托弗·马洛Christopher Marlowe, 1564-1593冲破旧的戏剧形式的束缚,创作了一种新戏剧;帖木儿大帝Tamburlaine、浮士德博士的悲剧The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Dr. Faustus、马耳他岛的犹太人The Jew of Malta等剧作反映了文艺复兴时期那种永无止境的探索精神和极端的个人主义精神;马洛将戏剧情节集中于一个主要角色的做法、他对人物性格的分析以及他的素体诗戏剧对白,对英国戏剧的发展做出了不可磨灭的贡献;英国文艺复兴时期最杰出的作家是威廉·莎士比亚William Shakespeare, 1564-1616,他的全部作品包括两首长诗,154首十四行诗和38部一说39部戏剧;莎士比亚的主要剧作有喜剧仲夏夜之梦A Midsummer Night's Dream、威尼斯商人The Merchant of Venice,悲剧罗密欧与朱丽叶Romeo and Juliet、哈姆莱特Hamlet、奥赛罗Othello、李尔王King Lear、麦克白Macbeth,历史剧亨利四世Henry IV,传奇剧暴风雨The Tempest等;莎士比亚塑造了性格鲜明的人物形象,展现了封建制度和资本主义制度交替时期波澜壮阔的历史画面,宣扬了人文主义和个性解放;他的剧作思想内容深刻,艺术表现手法精湛,历经几个世纪,长演不衰;莎士比亚是语言大师,他娴熟地运用英语,将英语的丰富表现力推向极致;与莎士比亚同时或稍后还有一批剧作家在进行创作,本·琼森Ben Johnson, 1572-1637是其中最主要的作家,莎士比亚曾在他的喜剧人人高兴Every Man in His Humor中扮演角色;琼森的讽刺喜剧狐狸Volpone、练金术士The Alchemist揭露了当时社会人们追逐金钱的风气,喜剧性很强;三、17世纪文学1603年伊丽莎白女王去世后,英国国王与议会矛盾日趋激烈,政局动荡;1649年1月国王查理一世被送上断头台,同年5月,英国宣布为共和国;约翰·弥尔顿John Milton, 1608-1674积极投入资产阶级革命,曾任共和国政府拉丁秘书,写了不少文章扞卫共和国;1660年,查理二世回国复辟,弥尔顿一度被捕入狱,在朋友帮助下才得免一死,获释回家;在双目失明的状态下,他完成了长诗失乐园Paradise Lost和复乐园Paradise Regained、诗剧力士参孙Samson Agonistes;这些作品反映了王政复辟后弥尔顿内心的痛苦以及对资产阶级革命始终不渝的态度,文体雄伟庄严;17世纪英国诗歌另外的一支是玄学派诗歌,代表诗人有约翰·邓恩John Donne, 1572-1631和安德鲁·马韦尔Andrew Marvell, 1621-1678;玄学派诗歌的特点是采用奇特的意象和别具匠心的比喻,揉细腻的感情与深邃的思辩于一体;玄学派诗歌在18和19世纪一直为世人所忽视,直到20世纪初,才从历史的尘封中重见天日,对现代主义诗风产生很大影响;王政复辟时期最受人欢迎的作家是约翰·班扬John Bunyan, 1628-1688,他的天路历程The Pilgrim's Progress采用梦幻的形式讲述宗教寓言,但揭开梦幻的面纱,展现在读者面前的是17世纪英国社会的一幅现实主义图景;查理二世复辟后,被清教徒关闭的剧院重新开放,英国戏剧获得新生;这一时期出现的风俗喜剧是当时戏剧的最高成就,威廉·康格里夫William Congreve, 1670-1729的以爱还爱Love for Love、如此世道The Way of the World等剧作是风俗喜剧的代表作品;17世纪下半叶,约翰·德莱顿John Dryden, 1631-1700驰骋文坛,集桂冠诗人、散文家、剧作家于一身;德莱顿关于戏剧创作和舞台艺术的论述构成英国戏剧史上第一组有分量的戏剧评论,他那简洁明朗的散文文体影响了18世纪许多作家的文风;四、启蒙时期文学17世纪后期—18世纪中期1688年的“光荣革命”推翻复辟王朝,确定了君主立宪制,建立起资产阶级和新贵族领导的政权,英国从此进入一个相对安定的发展时期;18世纪初,新古典主义成为时尚;新古典主义推崇理性,强调明晰、对称、节制、优雅,追求艺术形式的完美与和谐;亚历山大·蒲柏Alexander Pope, 1688-1744是新古典主义诗歌的代表,他模仿罗马诗人,诗风精巧隽俏,内容以说教与讽刺为主,形式多用英雄双韵体,但缺乏深厚感情;18世纪英国散文出现繁荣,散文风格基本建立在新古典主义美学原则之上;理查德·斯梯尔Richard Steele, 1672-1729与约瑟夫·艾迪生Joseph Addison, 1672-1719创办闲谈者Tatler与观察者Spectator刊物,发表了许多以当时社会风俗、日常生活、文学趣味等为题材的文章,他们清新秀雅、轻捷流畅的文体成为后人模仿的典范;乔纳森·斯威夫特Jonathan Swift, 1667-1745是英国文学史上最伟大的讽刺散文作家,他的文风纯朴平易而有力;斯威夫特的杰作格列佛游记Gulliver's Travels是一部极具魅力的儿童故事,同时包含着深刻的思想内容;作者通过对小人国、大人国、飞岛国、慧马国等虚构国度的描写,以理性为尺度,极其尖锐地讽刺和抨击了英国社会各领域的黑暗和罪恶;塞缪尔·约翰逊Samuel Johnson, 1709-1784是18世纪英国人文主义文学批评的巨擘,莎士比亚戏剧集序言The Preface to Shakespeare和诗人传Lives of the Poets是他对文学批评作出的突出贡献;他从常识出发,在某些方面突破了新古典主义的框框,不乏真知灼见;约翰逊的散文风格自成一家,集拉丁散文的典雅、气势与英语散文的雄健、朴素于一体;约翰逊在英语词典编纂史上占有独特地位,他克服重重困难,一人独自编纂英语词典A Dictionary of the English Language,历时七年得以完成,这是英语史上第一部也是随后一百年间英国唯一的标准辞书;约翰逊青史留名,也得益于詹姆斯·鲍斯韦尔James Boswell, 1740-1795为他写的传记约翰逊传The Life of Samuel Johson,该书逼真地再现了约翰逊的神态容貌及人格力量,标志着现代传记的开端;18世纪被称为“散文世纪”的另一个原因是小说的兴起;丹尼尔·笛福Daniel Defoe, 1660-1731的鲁滨逊漂流记Robinson Crusoe采用写实的手法,描写主人公在孤岛上的生活,塑造了一个资产阶级开拓者和殖民主义者形象,具有时代精神;这部小说被认为是现实主义小说的创始之作,为笛福赢得“英国小说之父”的称号;笛福的另一部长篇小说摩尔·弗兰德斯Moll Flanders叙述女主人公摩尔在英国因生活所迫沦为娼妓和小偷的经历;现实主义小说在亨利·菲尔丁Henry Fielding, 1707-1754的笔下得到进一步发展;他的汤姆·琼斯Tom Jones故事在乡村、路途及伦敦三个不同背景下展开,向读者展现了当时英国社会风貌的全景图;小说以代表自然本性的汤姆与代表理智、智慧的索菲娅终成眷属结尾,表达了感情要受理性节制的思想;全书共十八卷,每卷都以作者对小说艺术的讨论开始,表现出菲尔丁对小说创作的一种理论上的自觉意识;与菲尔丁同时代的塞缪尔·理查逊Samuel Richardson, 1689-1761采用书信体创作了帕米拉Pamela、克拉丽莎Clarissa Harlowe;他将视角投入年轻女主人公的内心深处,心理刻画淋漓尽致,令读者潸然泪下;托比亚斯·斯摩莱特Tobias Smollett, 1721-1771是18世纪中叶颇具特色的小说家;他的蓝登传The Adventures of Roderick Random继承欧洲流浪汉小说传统,布局松散,是一连串发展迅速、好恶交替、变化急剧的冒险经历的组合;劳伦斯·斯特恩Lawrence Sterne, 1713-1768的项狄传The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy打破传统小说叙述模式,写法奇特;小说各章长短不一,有的甚至是空白;书中充满长篇议论和插话,并出现乐谱、星号、省略号等;斯特恩对小说形式的实验引起20世纪俄国形式主义批评家的注意,项狄传被认为是“世界文学中最典型的小说”;评论家指出20世纪小说中的意识流手法可以追溯到这部奇异的小说;18世纪中叶,英国发生了工业革命;许多作家对资本主义工业化发展给大自然和农村传统生活方式带来的破坏发出悲哀的感叹,以大自然和情感为主题的感伤主义作品一度流行;奥利弗·哥尔德斯密斯Oliver Goldsmith, 1730-1774的长诗荒村The Deserted Village是感伤主义诗歌的杰作;他的世界公民The Citizen of the World原名为中国人信札Chinese Letters,虚构了一个在伦敦游历的中国河南人李安济Lien Chi Altangi,把他在伦敦的所见所闻写成书信寄回北京礼部官员,以中国人的眼光对英国的政治、司法、宗教、道德、社会风尚进行批评;詹姆斯·汤姆逊James Thomson, 1700-1748的四季歌The Seasons、威廉·柯林斯William Collins, 1721-1759的黄昏颂Ode to Evening、托马斯·格雷Thomas Gray, 1716-1771的墓园哀歌Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard表达诗人对时代纷乱状态的厌恶和对“自然简朴安排”的向往,吐露了他们的内心感受;英国诗歌开始逐渐摆脱新古典主义的束缚,理性的优势地位为感情或感受所代替;五、浪漫主义时期文学1798—183218世纪末、19世纪初,英国诗风大变;苏格兰农民诗人罗伯特·彭斯Robert Burns, 1759-1796给英国诗坛带来一股新鲜的气息;他的抒情诗自然生动、感情真挚,讽刺诗尖锐锋利、妙趣横生;威廉·布莱克William Blake, 1757-1827是版画家兼诗人,想象奇特,极富个性;他的短诗意象鲜明,语言清新,后期的长诗内容比较晦涩;他在诗歌中建立起自己一套独特的神话体系,具有神秘主义色彩;布莱克的革命性、独创性和复杂性使他成为浪漫主义诗歌的先驱;1798年,威廉·华兹华斯William Wordsworth, 1770-1850与塞缪尔·泰勒·柯勒律治Samuel Taylor Coleridge, 1772-1834合作出版了一本小诗集抒情歌谣集Lyrical Ballads,其中大部分诗歌出自华兹华斯之手,用简朴的语言描写简朴的生活;抒情歌谣集的问世标志着英国浪漫主义文学的真正崛起;华兹华斯在 1802年诗集再版时写的序中对诗歌作出了着名定义：“好诗是强烈感情的自然流溢”;浪漫主义是对新古典主义的反拨：诗歌内容不再是对现实的反映或道德说教,而是诗人内心涌出的真实感情；诗歌语言不是模仿经典作家去追求高雅精致,而是要贴近普通人的日常用语;浪漫主义诗人崇尚自然,主张返朴归真;浪漫主义是一个比较笼统的概念,每个诗人各有其特征;同样是“湖畔派”诗人,华兹华斯将大自然视为灵感的源泉,自然美景能给人力量和愉悦,具有疗效作用,使人的心灵净化和升华,柯勒律治则赋予自然神奇色彩,擅长描绘瑰丽的超自然幻景;乔治·戈登·拜伦George Gordon Byron, 1788-1824和波西·比希·雪莱Percy Bysshe Shelley, 1792-1822属于革命诗人,但拜伦自我表现意识强烈,而雪莱深受柏拉图哲学影响,憧憬美丽的理想和理念;约翰·济慈John Keats, 1795-1821一生追求美,是创造艺术美的天才诗人;19世纪20年代初,济慈、雪莱和拜伦相继英年早逝,英国浪漫主义诗歌由强转弱,风势渐衰;六、现实主义时期文学19世纪30年代-19181837年维多利亚女王Queen Victoria, 1819-1901登基;在她统治时期,英国一度取得世界贸易和工业的垄断地位,科学、文化、艺术出现繁荣的局面;维多利亚时代英国诗歌表现出与浪漫主义截然不同的诗风,诗人们不再沉湎于主观感情的发泄,而是注重形式的典雅,对诗艺精益求精;罗伯特·布朗宁Robert Browning, 1812-1889早年从事过戏剧创作,后来专门写戏剧独白;戏剧独白是一种通过主人公的自白或议论来抒发情感的无韵体诗;在皮帕走过了Pippa Passes、指环与书The Ring and the Book等作品中,诗人带上“面具”,进入戏剧人物内心世界,以其口吻娓娓而谈,语言极为生动,说话者跃然纸上;阿尔弗雷德·丁尼生Alfred Tennyson, 1809-1892在他漫长的艺术生涯中创作了大量的抒情诗、哲理诗和叙事诗,诗风凝重、典雅;丁尼生的剑桥挚友哈勒姆溺水而死,对他诗歌创作产生深远影响;诗人在挽诗悼念In Memoriam A. H. H中表达了真切的伤感和悲痛,同时反映了对生活本质和人类命运的思索和忧虑,成为时代的心声;19世纪中叶,英国经济发展迅速,物质丰富,国力昌盛;但是资本主义制度所引起的各种社会矛盾十分尖锐,社会主义思潮开始流行,作为西方文明基石的基督教受到科学思想的挑战,日益衰微,在繁荣景象的背后潜伏着焦虑不安的暗流;马修·阿诺德Matthew Arnold, 1822-1888敏锐地捕捉到时代的脉搏,在写于雄伟的卡尔特寺院的诗章Stanzas from the Grande Chartreuse中揭示了人们的处境：“彷徨在两个世界之间,一个已经死去,另一个无力诞生;”阿诺德是19世纪英国人文主义文学批评的杰出代表, 他有关文学与文化的论述对后世影响很大;与诗歌相比,19世纪英国小说成就更为辉煌;沃尔特·司各特Walter Scott, 1771-1832的浪漫主义历史小说为他赢得“西欧历史小说之父”的声誉;密得洛西恩监狱The Heart of Midlothian、艾凡赫Ivanhoe等小说的特点是讲述卷入重大历史事件的普通人物的故事,并展示导致书中人物所作所为的那些社会力量和历史力量;与此相对照,简·奥斯丁Jane Austen,1775-1817则以女性作家特有的敏锐和细腻刻画英国乡村中产阶级的生活和思想;她认为：“一个乡村中的三四户人家是合适的写作对象;”傲慢与偏见Pride and Prejudice、爱玛Emma等作品涉及婚姻、爱情、门第和财产,小说结构精巧,人物对话机智,语言幽默含蓄,耐人寻味;勃朗特三姐妹在 19世纪英国文学史上占有独特地位;夏洛蒂·勃朗特Charlotte Bronte, 1816-1855的简·爱Jane Eyre是一部关于女主人公克服男性统治社会对女性的种种压制最后取得自主独立的成长小说,浪漫爱情故事的背后包含着严肃的思想内容,受到20世纪女性主义批评家的青睐;艾米丽·勃朗特Emily Bronte, 1818-1848想象奇特,呼啸山庄Wuthering Heights采用间接叙述手法讲述一段刻骨铭心的恋情,小说中野性与文明、浪漫与现实反差强烈,具有神秘恐怖色彩;安妮·勃朗特Anne Bronte, 1820-1849在简·爱和呼啸山庄问世的1847年也发表了小说阿格尼斯·格雷Agnes Grey;乔治·艾略特George Eliot, 1819-1880是玛丽·安·伊万斯Mary Ann Evans的笔名,这位才女是19世纪现实主义小说的真正代表;弗罗斯河上的磨房The Mill on the Floss、织工马南Silas Marner和米德尔马契Middlemarch等作品以写实手法展现英国的社会人生图画,对人物内心活动和行为动机的刻画十分生动细致,艾略特因此被誉为心理小说的先驱;查尔斯·狄更斯Charles Dickens, 1812-1870是19世纪英国最伟大的小说家,其作品的深度和广度超过了同时代的任何作家;狄更斯的着名小说雾都孤儿Oliver Twist、大卫·科波菲尔David Copperfield、远大前程Great Expectations等均以孤儿为主人公,这与作家的不幸童年经历有关;荒凉山庄Bleak House揭露了英国司法制度的腐败与黑暗;双城记A Tale of Two Cities以法国大革命为背景,生动再现了当时伦敦和巴黎的局势,情节跌宕起伏;狄更斯在他的小说中展示了一幅幅维多利亚时代英国社会生活的画卷,但他是一位具有浪漫、幽默气质的作家,笔下经常出现性格怪异的人物;威廉·麦克皮斯·萨克雷William Makepeace Thackray, 1811-1863是19世纪另一位出色的小说家,曾一度与狄更斯在文坛上平起平坐;名利场VanityFair通过女主人公丽贝卡·夏普不择手段跻身上流社会的故事,对势利者进行了无情的揭露和嘲讽;萨克雷的亨利·埃斯蒙德The History of Henry Esmond是英国文学史上一部杰出的历史小说;19世纪中下叶其他重要的小说家还有安东尼·特罗洛普Anthony Trollope, 1815-1882,他是一位多产作家,发表小说达47部之多,主要作品是“巴塞特郡系列小说”Barchester Series;塞缪尔·勃特勒Samuel Butler, 1835-1902的埃瑞璜是一部讽刺小说,“埃瑞璜”是英文nowhere的倒写,通过一个游客在埃瑞璜的所见所闻,记述了这个乌托邦国家的生活,以此抨击和讽刺英国社会;他去世后出版的众生之路The Way of AllLife批评英国中产阶级的价值观,矛头直指维多利亚时代的家庭、宗教、道德;19世纪末、20世纪初,英国不少小说家创作出以“幻灭”为主题的小说,最为典型的是托马斯·哈代Thomas Hardy, 1840-1928;哈代的小说一直以故乡多塞特郡和该郡附近的农村地区作为背景,早期作品描写的是英国农村的恬静景象和明朗的田园生活,后期作品明显变得阴郁低沉,其主题思想是无法控制的外部力量和内心冲动决定着个人命运,并造成悲剧;他的德伯家的苔丝Tess of the D'Urbervilles和无名的裘德Jude the Obscure讲述了英格兰南部农村青年男女走投无路、陷于绝望的悲剧故事;与此相对照,以海外为题材的小说作为英国当时海外扩张的折射,基调并不那样灰暗,如拉迪亚德·吉卜林Rudyard Kipling, 1865-1936的吉姆Jim宣扬了英雄主义的可能性,带有帝国主义色彩;约瑟夫·康拉德的小说展示了西方扩张主义转型的历史过程,并对此进行反思;黑暗的心Heart of Darkness表现出他对西方特别是比利时帝国主义的扩张、对民族剥削和压迫的不满;吉姆老爷Lord Jim的故事发生在东南亚马来地区,主人公执着于道德理念,因自己的过失常常遭受良心的谴责,为了赎罪,最后导致悲剧性结局,作品包含着对具有殖民主义色彩的英雄主义的批判;康拉德在小说布局、叙述角度及象征手法等方面有意识地进行一系列革新,他的小说成为英国现代主义文学的先声;题材范围进一步扩大, 是这个时期小说创作的特点;阿诺德·本涅特ArnoldBennett, 1867-1931的老妇谭Old Wives' Tale等自然主义小说描绘了英格兰北部生产陶瓷的工业城镇生活;威廉·萨默塞特·毛姆William Somerset Maugham,1874-1965的创作也深受法国自然主义影响,他的长篇小说人性的枷锁Of Human Bondage展现了主人公摆脱精神枷锁的过程;赫伯特·乔治·威尔斯Herbert George Wells, 1866-1946创作的时间机器The Time Machine等一批科幻小说,将科学幻想与社会批评结合起来;约翰·高尔斯华绥John Galsworthy, 1867-1933在福尔赛世家The Forsyte Saga中以批判的眼光揭示了资产阶级的家庭、社会关系;E. M. 福斯特E. M. Forster, 1879-1970的霍华兹别墅Howards End针对英国社会经济与文化、富人与穷人、男性与女性之间愈益尖锐的矛盾冲突,探索建立“联结”关系的途径;在印度之行A Passage to India中,他将“联结”的思想运用于英帝国与殖民地关系这一更大的国际范围;柯南道尔Arthur Conan Doyle, 1859-1930塑造了智力超凡、逻辑严密、个性鲜明的福尔摩斯这一着名侦探形象;在柯南道尔的侦探小说中,犯罪威胁了社会秩序的稳定,侦探的作用是通过破案来恢复平衡和稳定;19世纪末迎来英国戏剧的复兴;英国戏剧在18世纪除了哥尔德斯密斯的屈身求爱She Stoops to Conquer与理查德·布林斯利·谢里登Richard Brinsley Sheridan, 1751-1816的讽刺喜剧造谣学校The School for Scandal之外,没有太多的建树;在随后的一百年间,英国戏剧一直处于低迷状态;到了19世纪90年代,在易卜生等欧洲大陆剧作家的影响下,英国发生了新戏运动,戏剧才摆脱了衰退、委顿的状况,呈现欣欣向荣的景象;喜剧天才奥斯卡·王尔德Oscar Wilde, 1854-1900的风俗喜剧对上层社会进行揶揄讽刺,妙语连珠,充满似非而是的怪论、机智诙谐的俏皮话;萧伯纳George Bernard Shaw, 1856-1950以易卜生为榜样,倡导一种有思想的“问题剧”,将社会问题引入剧坛,使戏剧走向现实;萧伯纳一生写了许多优秀的剧本,如皮格马利翁Pygmalion、圣女贞德Saint Joan等;他擅长表现舞台对话,人物语言锐利、简洁、风趣;王尔德和萧伯纳是戏剧复兴的里程碑,他们的戏剧创作活动使英国剧坛发生根本的变化,一改英国戏剧百年不振的局面;1918-194520世纪初,本涅特、威尔斯、高尔斯华绥坚持维多利亚时代的现实主义传统进行创作,用写实的方法记载社会转型时期资产阶级社会和家庭发生的变化;但他们很快就受到来自现代主义文学的挑战;按照弗吉妮亚伍尔芙Virginia Woolf, 1882-1941的说法,1910年是英国小说从传统现实主义到现代主义变化的重要年份;第一次世界大战无疑加速了这一变化;战争中,大批无辜青年充当炮灰,白白丧生;一战之后,不少英国人对文艺复兴以来人文主义有关人性、人类前途的基本观念乃至基督教文化传统的信念发生了动摇;社会思想观念的深刻变革,促使现代主义文学蓬勃发展,英国小说也面目一新;D.H.劳伦斯D. H. Lawrence是煤矿工人的儿子,他将视线投向两性关系,对西方文明的缺陷进行反思;查特莱夫人的情人Lady Chatterley’s Lover曾因为大胆的性爱描写而在英美两国被查禁;他的儿子与情人Sonsand Lovers、虹The Rainbow、恋爱中的女人Women in Love等小说将社会批评与性心理探索巧妙结合起来,猛烈抨击资本主义工业文明;作为对现实主义文学的反拨,现代主义文学追求心理真实,注重直接观察人物的心理活动,直接体验人物的内心感受,在内心世界这面镜子上折射出丰富多彩的外部现实;出生于书香世家的伍尔芙的突出成就是意识流小说;她的达罗卫夫人Mrs. Dalloway和到灯塔去To the Lighthouse等作品突破传统的时空观,将意识流手法运用得出神入化,还体现出女作家对于女性存在的历史及现状的独特反思;来自爱尔兰的詹姆斯乔伊斯James Joyce, 1882-1941被认为是继莎士比亚后英语文学史上最伟大的作家,他的旷世之作尤利西斯Ulysses给英国传统小说带来一场革命;尤利西斯情节简单,主要记载迪达勒斯、布卢姆和布卢姆的妻子莫莉三个人物的日常琐事;小说实际上只写了爱尔兰首府都柏林一天里的事情;这一天是1904年6月 16日,乔伊斯与他未来的妻子娜拉曾在这一天首次幽会,除此以外,它是都柏林历史上最普通不过的一个日子;乔伊斯在小说中力图展现的是生活的本质和对人的精神世界的探索,尤利西斯因此被有的评论家誉为表现了西方“现代社会的全部生活和全部历史”;尤利西斯的成功在于意识流描写表面上纷纷扬扬,漫无边际,实际上结构齐整,周密严谨;。

2023年《英国文学史及选读》(吴伟仁著)课后答
案
《英国文学史及选读》(吴伟仁著)内容简介
PART I THE ANGLO-SAXON PERIOD
Beowulf
PART II THE ANGLO-NORMAN PERIOD
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
PART III GEOFFREY CHAUCER
The Canterbury Tales
(General Prologue)
Popular Ballads
Robin Hood and Allin-a-Dale
Get Up and Bar the Door
Sir Patrick Spens
PART IV THE RENAISSANCE
PART V THE 17TH CENTURY
PART VI THE 18TH CENTURY
《英国文学史及选读》(吴伟仁著)目录
本书是作者根据英国文学历史的`顺序结合作品选读所编写的一套适合我国高等教院校英语专业使用的教材。

由于课时有限，历史部分只作了简明扼要的概述，作品选读部分，尽可能遴选了文学史上的重要作家和重要作品。

这部“史”、“选”结合的教材，分为两册出版，第一册是古代至18世纪英国文学，第二册是19划纪至20世纪英国文学。

教材内容丰富，观点正确，选文具有代表性，可作高校外文系英语专业英国文学史和文学作品选读课程的课本或参考书，也是广大中学英语教师及具有一定程度的英语自学者和英美文学爱好者进修的理想读物。